Kay Caboose #134, built by the Darby Corp. in Kansas City, served the Missouri Kansas Texas Railroad, known as the MKT or Katy, as a typical end car from 1968 to 1988. Also known as a crumby, a caboose served as a sheltered vantage point from which trainmen could watch the cars ahead, fix parts, do paperwork, and catch a few hours of sleep. It was the temporary office and home of the freight conductor and rear brakeman. The word caboose is a nautical term of Dutch origin meaning ship's galley, and this galley with its makeshift crow's nest, called a cupola, was an essential part of trains as early as the 1840s. Modern technology began replacing the duties of the brakeman and watchman in the 1980s, and cabooses then became rarely used for more than exhibitions. As they declined, many were scrapped, sold, or donated to museums, communities, and private individuals. Along or near Katy Trail State Park, cabooses can be seen in Clinton, Windsor, Sedalia, Boonville, New Franklin, Hartsburg, Marthasville, and St. Charles. The last freight train to leave Boonville on Katy tracks departed on Oct, 14, 1986. Caboose #134 passed to the Union Pacific Railroad with other Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad holdings in 1988, and in 1997 train enthusiasts and members of the Boonville community arranged its acquisition, re-laid the track in front of the depot, relocated the caboose, and, with help from inmates of Boonville Correctional Center, sanded and repainted it. Today, Caboose #134 serves as the Boonville Katy Caboose Railroad Museum, exhibiting artifacts and photographs of local railroading.